Fired on Day 1 for Leaving at 6:30 PM: How an SAT Prep Firm Pays $28 a Day to Own Your Life

1/ I was fired on my very first day as an intern. Not for making a catastrophic mistake, not for showing up late, but because I dared to go home after working unpaid overtime. 2/ The company is Alpha Test, an SAT prep and coaching firm. Official hours are 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Wanting to make a solid first impression, I stayed until 6:30 PM to make sure everything was completely wrapped up. I thought I was showing initiative. I thought hard work was respected. 3/ At 7:30 PM, I had just walked through my front door when my phone rang. It was the Partner demanding that I turn around and come right back to the office immediately. No crisis. No client emergency. Just a raw power trip. 4/ When I calmly explained that I was already home and couldn't make it back, the mask slipped completely. She fired me on the spot through the phone. 5/ Her exact words were chilling: "Our company focuses on efficiency and profit, not on the employees' personal time. Our philosophies do not align." 6/ Let’s do the math on what buying my soul was worth to them: 200 RMB ($28 USD) per day. For a 12+ hour day on call, that breaks down to less than $2.30 an hour. They genuinely believed that for the price of a takeout meal, they bought full ownership of my life and dignity. 7/ The cruel irony is that Alpha Test markets itself as an institution dedicated to shaping young minds for higher education and bright futures. Yet behind closed doors, they treat young workers like disposable, automated parts meant to be run into the ground and discarded without a second thought. 8/ I refuse to let hustle culture normalize this abuse. Every dollar paid to businesses like this validates the exploitation of entry-level staff. If you are a student or a parent investing in your future, please look closely at the hands doing the work—and the toxic culture your money is keeping alive.